Have you turned the car seat FF?

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mharman8 wrote:

I am in a little predicament and need some opinions.. my son is 20 months and baby #2 will be here in a month. We are wanting to turn his car seat FF when the new baby comes when he will be 21 months. My son is 27.5lbs and 34 inches tall now and I'm just struggling with this because all my friends and sisters have turned their kids who are around the same age so I'm thinking oh it's fine but then I read these terrible articles. He's also acting out and yells "where are you momma" 24-7 in the car and kicks the seats and screams because his legs are crossed and squished and it's getting harder to travel long distances with him even with a tray, toys and distractions. Has anyone else turned their LOs seat yet? My pediatrician also said he would be fine. Thoughts?

I've watched YouTube videos that detail internal decapitation, for which children are at risk until age 4. The thought terrifies me. My son will be 3 years old in a couple days and is still rear facing.

My son is same size as yours and I hope to keep him rear facing another year, maybe longer. The risk is very real and most states are changing their laws to rear facing until 2 because of it. I would keep him rear facing as long as possible. Maybe having a baby next to him rear facing might help?! Do you have a mirror on the back head rest? That helps my son. We got it to use to see him but he loves when I stop at a light and look back at him through it. Just a thought. My son is pretty chill in the car on short trips and I've only done 1 long trip without my husband so it's easier for me to say keep him rear facing but the safety stuff is so over the top in favor of rear facing as long as possible that I think you should do what you can to try to keep him that way, but that's my opinion. Good luck!!!!

I turned my 19 month old daughter at 1. We follow the guidlines for this carseat and it does not rear face. We will do the same with our 6 month old when she meets the requirements. Imo, we can wrap them in bubble wrap and keep them home to avoid every danger, but I live in the real world. You know the recommendations and the risks. You don't need anyone's permission to make a legal judgement call for your own child. The moms on here will guilt you to no end, so expect that. P.S. I also don't make my kids wear helmets when they ride a bike. GASP!

I have, but not really by choice. My 19 month old is huge and outgrew the rear facing limits on his car seat. It goes to 40 pounds and 40 inches so I thought we could rear face for a while longer. But I didn't realize it also had a seated height, and he just passed that.

Well if I kept my kids home to avoid every danger, I wouldn't even need the car seats, silly!

It's odd to warn OP that she's likely to face judgement from other moms on this board when yours is the only response that reeks of judgement. You can explain your choice without tearing down the choices of other parents. No need to add to the mommy wars.

It's really not about mom guilt on this one. She asked for opinions and based on the fact that 8 states already require rear facing until 2 and with a dozen more trying to get the law passed currently it's only a matter of time before rear facing until 2 is the law in every state. The fact is that children are 5 times safer rear facing, not my opinion but actual researched fact. I don't wrap my son in a bubble but when there is something that is so much safer and it's only a matter of convenience for me then of course I go the safer route. If you can't do rear facing because of your car seat then that's fine, the OP can continue to rear face so has to make a choice and asked for help in deciding what to do. Hey, it's not my child and not my choice, I'm just sharing what I think is important and has helped my son. Good luck to you all!

Thank you all for your thoughts. I'm going to continue to do my research about it. I don't really like comments regarding videos of internal decapitation as I just don't think that is appropriate to respond back with, whether it be true or not, as that just promotes fear and worry and I was looking for a friendly forum regarding this topic. I get that is a possibility but I've also read articles of children dying rear facing from being hit from behind. I try not to put my son in a bubble but I do

I don't think it's really fair to ask for other parents' insight and then tell me my response is inappropriate. I didn't intend to offend you and certainly wasn't suggesting you watch live action videos or the like. I gave my experience. I watched videos that explained the anatomy of children under age 4 and why it is safest to have them rear-facing to reduce risks of such tragedy. If you plan to continue researching your decision, you'll have a difficult time avoiding this topic as it is the main reason to keep children rear-facing as long as possible. It's not fear mongering and it doesn't mean that I've posted with anything but pure and friendly intentions.

I appreciate your comments and I know you were trying to be helpful. It's just hard as a mom with anxiety already and 37 weeks pregnant to wrap my head around the possible outcomes of these decisions even though they may seem minor. I plan to really talk with my husband this weekend about it and we will probably wait as I'm not entirely comfortable with it to begin with and I don't want to be nervous every time I drive.

I'll turn my son around when his sibling is born. There's not enough room for his car seat to be rear facing when not in the centre. I have no guilt. Do what is best for you family. Don't worry about other moms judging you, they'll judge you for anything these days anyways. Yes, the recommendation is 2 but many people do switch earlier.

You have to make the decision based on the facts. You are struggling because you know it is MUCH safer to keep him rear facing. You can choose to flip him now or at 2, but just be aware of the risk you are taking. Internal decapitation is an actual thing that can happen, so people commenting about it are not being unhelpful. You asked for opinions. So in my opinion, do not turn him around until he reaches the max limits of your seat. My son will be 4 in 6 weeks and we just flipped him around 2 weeks ago. My 19 month old will be staying backwards for a long time.

We will be turning our daughter around exactly at 2 years old when her sibling is born. We simply can't fit her car seat rear facing behind the seat. I know the risks of internal decapitation which is TERRIFYING but I also know the odds of it happening are very slim. My sister turned her daughter around 1 and she stopped crying and fighting the car seat as much. Obviously you are doing your best and are a loving mother

Not, yet. I plan to keep my daughter rear facing as long as possible and bought a convertible car seat that has high upper limits for height and weight, 49 inches and 50 pounds, respectively. Luckily, my daughter doesn't complain too much in the back seat. I sing nursery rhymes to her if she gets antsy and that usually helps until we make it home.

Same here. I Am due December and will keep them both RF until they reach 50 lbs which is max carseat weight for RF. We have the Diono Rainer. I could care less what other people say. Yes she cries. They'll be RF until she's 3 or 4 as their safety is my #1 concern.

Sorry that's plain stupid and poor advice. My friends son died at age 4 for not wearing a helmet while he was riding his bike. Switching your children at age one is illegal in most states. Do what you wish as you're the parent but recommendations are out there for a reason.

I watched the videos but honestly they made me change my mind and my POV on and that is why I'm keeping my children RF as long as possible. I live in Miami and I'm surrounded by crazy illegal and drunk drivers that rather be on FB or twitter than watching the road.

I turned my older son around to FF at 18 months because he was 35" tall and I thought it was really squished. I know ppl say to wait, but the law was 1 years old then. Now in PA it's 2 years old until they can FF. My daughter who's 19 months is only 31" tall and 21lbs so I won't be switching her for awhile.